How to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page

What is a Google My Business Page?

Think of a Google My Business Page as a business owner’s best friend. It’s a free tool that allows local businesses to manage how their business appears both on Google Search and Google Maps.

Through their Google My Business Page, small business owners can also manage their Google Reviews, one of the most powerful free marketing tools available today. If you’re a business owner and you’re not making the most of your Google My Business Page, especially its Google Reviews feature, you’re leaving incredibly impactful marketing (not to mention sales) on the table.

How do you know if you’re making the most of your Google My Business Page and Google Reviews?

How do you know if your business is missing sales opportunities every single day because you’re not maximizing the potential of this tool?

By the end of this article, you’ll have the knowledge and tools you’ll need to make the most of your Google My Business Page and Google Reviews. Keep reading to discover the opportunities you’re likely missing and how to do something about it.

Plus, you don’t want to miss our easy 3-step process for how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page!

Why It’s Important to Have a Google My Business Page?

Brand Consistency

Google My Business Page allows you to create and update your business profile. Your Google Business Profile is what potential customers will see when they search for local services using Google Search and Google Maps. In addition to the basics, like your business name, location and hours of operation, you can also post photos and videos that help the specialness of your brand shine through.

While this is the perfect chance to make a great first impression, there’s even more at stake here. According to a 2016 Demand Metric Benchmark Report, organizations with brand consistency issues attributed a 23 percent average revenue increase to always presenting their brand consistently. In other words, consistent brand presentation can potentially boost your revenue by 23 percent!

Greater Visibility

Google’s business model relies on providing the most relevant, useful search results for its users’ queries. A business with a complete business profile is seen as more relevant and useful than a business with missing information. Plus, when you provide Google with relevant information through your Google My Business Page, the search engine giant can categorize your business, which will help you appear in relevant local searches.

The impact of your Google My Business Page reaches beyond Google’s platforms. Third-party sites often pull their information about local businesses from Google. If your Google Business Profile is complete, you’ll have a greater chance of being featured on those third-party sites. This is essentially additional free advertising for your business!

Leveraging greater visibility in local searches is incredibly powerful. A study from comScore, Neustar Localeze, and 15 Miles found that 78% of local searches on mobile devices resulted in a purchase. So when a customer finds you through a local search on their phone, the chances you’ll make a sale are through the roof!

Information Consistency

Along with increased visibility, updating your business profile through your Google My Business Page helps ensure that your business information is accurate across all channels. When you update your business name, phone number, hours of operation, and location through your Google My Business Page, this accurate information is what will populate on Google Maps, Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and the third-party sites that draw their information from Google.

Why does this matter? A study from Ipsos MediaCT, Purchased, and Google found that 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information. The information they see about your business needs to be accurate and up to date. If it’s not easy to contact your company or find your physical storefront, potential customers will likely move on to another business.

Why Google Reviews Matter?

Google Reviews Impact Purchase Decisions in a Major Way

When you shop on Amazon, what’s the first thing you look at? If you’re like most consumers, it’s the star rating. Social proof through star ratings and customer reviews play a major factor in purchase decisions, whether consumers are shopping on Amazon or evaluating your local business through Google Reviews.

According to BrightLocal’s 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey, 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses. And what are consumers looking for as they read those reviews? They’re looking for social proof that their experience with your business will be a positive one.

In the same BrightLocal study, researchers found that 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has a rating of 4 stars or higher.

This aligns with the finding from a 2018 PwC study that revealed 73% of consumers identify customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions.

In other words, your Google Reviews give potential customers the reassurance they need that they’ll have a positive experience with your business. This reassurance moves them towards the decision to do business with you.

Google Reviews Can Boost Your Ranking on Local SERPs

A steady stream of Google Reviews is almost like having a team of SEO writers working for you. Businesses that have more Google Reviews consistently show up first in the local results on Google Maps.

Another 2018 study from BrightLocal backs this up. They found that, on average, local businesses that ranked in the top 3 positions of Google Local had 47 reviews. Businesses in the 4-6 slots had an average of 40 reviews, and those in the 7-10 positions had 38 reviews.

The takeaway? Google favors businesses that have more reviews.

There’s another stat from this study that presents a noteworthy opportunity. On average, local businesses have 39 reviews. That means, if you can learn how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page, you can position yourself at or near the top of the results when people search for local businesses.

This is an incredible (free!) opportunity for business owners. (And if you’re new to Google Reviews, don’t worry! You’ll learn  how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page in an upcoming section.)

Google Reviews Help You Compete in a Competitive Marketplace Without Breaking the Bank

One of the best aspects of Google Reviews is that you can see amazing results without investing millions of dollars in a marketing campaign.

In BrightLocal’s 2018 Local Consumer Review, they found that 91% of 18-34 year-old consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation!

Now, pair that with PwC’s 2018 finding that 65% of consumers see a positive experience with a brand as more influential than great advertising.

There’s an incredible opportunity here! When you have positive Google Reviews, the majority of potential customers will trust what they read and be more impacted by those reviews than they would have been by expensive advertising. So, even if you’re a small business, you can gain a competitive edge by leveraging the power of Google Reviews.

How to Get the Most Out of Google Reviews

Get As Many Reviews As Possible, As Often As Possible

 According to the aforementioned BrightLocal study, consumers read an average of 10 reviews before they feel like they can trust a local business.

It’s not just the quantity of Google Reviews that matters, it’s the recency, as well. The same study found that 40% of consumers only take into account reviews that have been written in the past 2 weeks, up from 18% in the year prior.

As potential customers and clients research your company, they’re looking for substantial, recent social proof. They want to feel confident about their decision to buy from you or work with you. So, like I said in the heading, get as many Google Reviews as possible, as often as possible.

You may be wondering, “What if I get a bad Google Review?” There’s good news! According to the 2016 Demand Metric Benchmark Report, 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad reviews, while 30% suspect censorship or fake reviews when they don’t see any negative opinions on the review page.

So, the occasional bad Google Review is okay. If negative reviews drop your star rating below 4, though, you’ll need to find the cause of the poor ratings and address it.

How to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page

Now that we’ve covered the importance of your Google My Business Page and Google Reviews, here’s how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page.

3 Steps for how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page

1.  Ask

   We know this part can be a major hurdle for a lot of business owners, but it’s not as hard as you may think. If you’re working with someone in person, you can simply ask after checkout if they had a positive experience. If so, ask them to leave a quick Google Review and mention what a difference it makes for your business. It’s helpful to have a small card you can hand them with your custom Google Review link (we cover this in step 2, and using this link is one of the best solutions for how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page).

   The majority of people want to help small businesses so they’ll be more than willing to leave a review. To make the verbal ask even easier, you can start by just asking repeat clients with whom you already have great rapport.

   Another option? Simply include a CTA in your newsletter or email campaigns that asks your past customers to leave a review.

2.  Make it easy for customers to write a review

   While most people do genuinely want to help, it’s up to you to make the process of leaving a Google Review as easy as possible for them. Here’s a video we created for how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page that will show you how to create a link to your Google Reviews section. Using this link removes an obstacle for your customers and clients so they can leave a review in a matter of minutes.

   How to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page

        3. Work it into your process

Make asking for reviews a standard operating procedure. Include it in the checkout process when you train your employees and include it as a standard piece of content right above the footer in your email campaigns. When you don’t have to continually expend energy to get more Google Reviews, you’ll no longer have to worry about  how to get Google Reviews for your Google My Business Page.

There you have it! Start following the 3-step process so more potential customers can discover your business and benefit from your amazing services!